Metro area police training in the Columbia River Gorge startles kayaker

View full sizeJohn RobertsA Southeast Portland photographer said he was startled to find metro area law enforcement officials conducting a police training exercise on Wednesday in the Columbia River Gorge area.

A police training exercise in the Columbia River Gorge on Wednesday that included shooting at targets below well-known basalt cliffs drew a complaint from a kayaker.

"It sounded like a war," said John Roberts, a professional photographer from Southeast Portland, who went to take photos of scenery from the water. He got into his kayak at Dalton Point and paddled past Rooster Rock to find the source of the noise.

He soon came upon five boats carrying officers from area police and sheriff's agencies in a tactical exercise.

They appeared to be doing assault approaches by boat and firing on the rock formations, Roberts said. The cliffs are on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

"They should not be doing it here," Roberts said.

The Portland Police Bureau has organized the daylong training for at least six years, spokesman Lt. Robert King said in an email.

About 35 officers were practicing cover and maneuver drills with boats and standard police rifles, he said. The training is intended to prepare officers for water emergencies, including hostage rescue situations.

The cliffs were the backdrop of the exercise, not the target, King said. The targets, made of steel, were placed along the riverbank at the bottom of the cliffs.

There aren't many safe places for such practice, he said.

"One of the advantages of this training is that it is remote and therefore eliminates any risk to people," he said.

Besides the Portland police, the training involved the Oregon State Police and the Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington county sheriff's offices.